Davis: I Love Everything About the Club Friday, 25th Oct 2024 11:02 by Kallum Brisset Town defender Leif Davis says he ‘loves everything about Ipswich’ having signed a new long-term contract at Portman Road earlier this week. The Blues’ chance creating machine, who has provided an English league leading 33 assists since joining Town from Leeds United in July 2022, penned a new four-year contract on Monday. Davis, who has achieved back-to-back promotions in his two seasons in Suffolk, was also named in the League One and Championship Teams of the Season as he prepares to make his 99th appearance for the club at Brentford this weekend. Asked if he could have imagined being a Premier League player when he joined the club two years ago, Davis said the club’s ambition was there but perhaps not in the rapid timeframe it was achieved. “No, not really, obviously we were in League One when I joined,” he said. “When I did come they had high hopes to get back up the leagues but obviously not this soon. “We did it in two years which was incredible, I don’t think any other team has done that in years so to do that with the team that we had was special. “Another four years here is incredible, that’s why I committed to staying here for four more years. I just love everything about the club, everything about Ipswich and all the supporters here as well made me stay. “From the end of last season is when the talks started, really. It’s just about getting it right, you can’t rush into anything that’s not right and everything has to be perfect for me. “I wanted to stay, I was never going to change my mind and I was always going to focus on my football. Now it’s all done and dusted I can focus on it even more, get my head down and show everything I can do.” There have been so many memorable moments in Davis’s time at Portman Road, but the left-back singled out the impact of manager Kieran McKenna from as early as his debut against Bolton Wanderers in the days after he joined the club. “Just getting the opportunity from the manager,” he said. “The day I came in was late on in the window and we had a big squad anyway so I didn’t think I was going to play on the first day but he threw me in. He believed in me and he trusted me that I could do it from the first game. “I’ve grown as a player and as a person, I was a kid when I came here and I would like to say I’ve matured and turned into the man I wanted to be in football games and not being the one that’s getting hide around all the time and being on the pitch just as a number. “I wanted to be out there in being one of the most important players I could be and knew I could be. “That’s what I’ve tried to do for the past two years, get as many assists, help the team and keep improving myself every week. “He’s brought me on massively, not just as a person but as a player as well. When I came in I had a lot that I needed to improve on, I was still a young lad and he’s turned me into that man that I’ve said before by everything he’s taught me on the pitch and off the pitch. “He’s worked with me since day one when I came in, that first day he wanted me in training straight away to work on things that I needed to work on which was my defending. Not just my defensive stuff but attacking as well and being composed in the final third. “The defensive thing was the main one that he’s helped me massively on, working hard after training with me even when I can’t feel my legs and stuff like that, telling me to keep going and I’ve got to push through it. “I think that’s the mentality you’ve got to have in a game because when it gets tough in the final 10 minutes of a game he said this is when you’ll feel it the most. I’ve just got to keep working with him to improve every aspect of my game.” Davis also praised his teammates for how quickly he was able to settle after making the initial switch, many of whom are still on the journey together including Conor Chaplin, Wes Burns, Luke Woolfenden and Christian Walton. He added: “The boys as well, I don’t think I’d played against any of them or met any of the lads before I came down. “From day one they welcomed me massively and so did the fans, even though I didn’t have the best of starts by giving away a penalty on the first day which they could’ve gone into me for. They’ve been incredible for me for the past two years and hopefully for four more years.” Asked to pick a standout match, Davis opted to recall one from the run-in towards promotion from League One in his first season at the club. “What topped it for me was the Peterborough game,” he said. “We didn’t know, but that’s when we kind of knew [we would get promoted]. We went 14 games unbeaten in the League One year, and that stint of the season was probably the best part of my career so far. “Nothing went wrong for us, everything was perfect. It wasn’t just down to luck, it was down to how we were training and preparing for games and the attitude all the lads were showing towards the games in taking it game-by-game.” Throughout his time at the club, Davis has been known for his incredible assist numbers, with his creativity from left-back attracting the attention of many supporters and national outlets. That has not diminished since promotion to the Premier League, with the 24-year-old currently topping the defender’s chances created statistic in the division, ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro. Asked what the most important part of his game is, Davis replied: " Defensively I’m a left-back and I’m part of a back four unit. I’ve got to be connected at all times and I’ve got to be in the line. “If I’m not in the line they could get in my channel and score from there. Going forward is just as important as defending as well because the way we play I’ve got to get forward to create chances for the team, but I’ve always got to be switched on at the back that we don’t concede in my area of the pitch.” Davis hails from the north-east and has made no secret of the fact he is a boyhood fan of Newcastle United, prompting the question with the obvious answer of which match he is looking forward to most this season. He said: “There’s one team I’m looking forward to playing against and that’s Newcastle, my home team. My whole family are from Newcastle and they support Newcastle. “I had a season ticket there so to go from watching it in stands at St James’ Park to playing there, even though it’s not for Newcastle I’ll always give my hardest for whoever I’m playing for, it will be a special day not just for me but my family as well.” Davis came through the local youth side Wallsend Boys Club, who have become famous for many of their notable alumni including Alan Shearer and Michael Carrick. Discussing his early days in football, Davis said: “I was at another local team back home for about seven years, I was at Cramlington Juniors from about six to 14 when I went to Wallsend and I know some of the players that have come through there. “I played Sunday league until I was 16 and the opportunities that they’ve brought young players through I thought I’d take the step and go to a different club and it was Wallsend. “I didn’t think I was ever going to get through and that 16 was too late and I’m not going to get anywhere. But I kept my head down, worked hard and seven players went away on a scholarship [Davis went to Morecambe] which were the opportunities that we got. It was a different path that I’ve taken but I’ve enjoyed it.”
Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
Blogs 298 bloggersIpswich Town Polls[ Vote here ] |